Milwaukee @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2010 ) Milwaukee 0, Colorado 2

The Colorado Rockies received another fine effort from a starting pitcher in their last game. And with Troy Tulowitzki on the disabled list, the Rockies need their pitching staff to continue to carry the load.

Jeff Francis will try to do his part on Saturday when Colorado continues a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Led by the incomparable Ubaldo Jimenez (13-1, 1.15 ERA), the Rockies’ pitching has carried them all season. Colorado’s 3.57 team ERA is fifth in baseball.

The Rockies won a second straight on Friday behind Jason Hammel, who shut down the powerful Brewers and extended his scoreless streak to 25 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. Three relievers finished the Rockies’ ninth shutout of the season.

Despite its strong pitching, Colorado has hovered around .500 for most of the year due to a struggling offense that ranked 16th in runs scored (300) even with Tulowitzki in the lineup.

Now, runs will be even harder for the Rockies to come by with their best hitter out of commission.

Colorado placed their All-Star shortstop on the disabled list with a broken wrist prior to Friday’s win. Tulowtizki, who suffered the injury after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning of Thursday’s win over Minnesota, is expected to miss at least six weeks.

The injury is a crippling blow for the Rockies, who are in fourth place - four games back of the San Diego Padres (39-28) in the competitive NL West.

Tulowitkzi leads the team with a .306 average and is second in homers (nine) and RBIs (34). More than that, he is the catalyst of their offense.

Tulowitzki’s absence means the pitching staff will need to buckle down even more. Based on his past two starts, Francis (2-2, 3.29 ERA) may be up to the challenge.

The left-hander is starting to round into form after missing all of 2009 due to shoulder surgery. He has a 2.57 ERA over his last two outings. On Sunday, Francis allowed two earned runs and five hits in seven innings of a 10-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

He is 2-3 with a 7.76 ERA in five games against Milwaukee, but his last start against the Brewers was solid. The 29-year-old allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss on June 8 of 2008.

Francis will try to take advantage of a Brewers' offense that has been shut out for 15 straight innings dating back to their series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Brewers, who have lost eight of the last 10 meetings, went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position Friday. The lone hit was of the infield variety.

Milwaukee sends Yovani Gallardo (6-3, 2.66) to the mound. The right-hander is looking to rebound from his first loss in over two months.

Gallardo allowed four runs and six hits in six innings of a 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday. It was his first loss since April 10. He had been 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA in his last 11 starts.

Gallardo is 0-3 with a 7.45 ERA in four games – three starts - vs. Colorado. The Rockies reached him for four runs and seven hits in seven innings of a 5-3 loss on April 5 – the season opener for both teams.

While Gallardo won't have to deal Tulowitzki, he will need to pitch carefully to Ian Stewart. Stewart is 2-for-3 with a pair of homers and three RBIs vs. Gallardo.

He may also have to worry about Carlos Gonzalez, who is expected to return Saturday. Gonzalez, who leads the team with 10 homers and 42 RBIs, missed Friday's game with a jammed knee. He is 3-for-7 vs. Gallardo.